Stupid idea, or great opportunity for improved braking with cantis?

On a road bike the brake performance is incredible so I was considering trying a set of tubular ksyrium SLRs on a CXer to see if the advantage carries over.

I'd imagine the surface is at risk of wearing badly, but otherwise I see no reason not to?

Mavic says they're not really intended for cross but you know someone is going to try them and see what happens. Might as well be you.

I've seen pictures of people racing cross on them, but I've never had a chance to talk to anybody whose ridden them personally.

If I get a chance to talk to the rep over winter break, I'd be very interested in them. They seem like they'd be a great cross/crit wheelset.

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This board and the world in general would be a much nicer place if everyone could just take themselves a little less seriously.

I spoke to our Mavic rep this morning about it as he happened to pay a visit - he said there's no reason not to.

So? Did you or anyone else try them?

I've not had a chance to build a CXer yet - might have to wait 'til next season now.

They should wear well and I think the idea is brilliant. The problem seems to lie with the brake pads. Those rims will destroy standard pads. That is why they come with the sets of hard compound pads. Those won't fit your canti brakes. Maybe it's worth going through a set or pads every week in order to pull this off. Anyone have a solution to this little problem?

Jagwire Sleek Pro Cross Lite could help here. No personal experience but I might try soon.

the cheap solution is planet-x cantis

the more expensive one is avid shorty utimates

both of these use road inserts, so you can use the exalith compound pads.

Do try to use the specific Exalith pads. Standard pads will wear out within weeks.

Also, if you plan to use Exalith wheels for Cyclocross, be sure to understand - the rim coating is very hard and durable, but not harder than quartz. Quartz is of course the primary mineral in sand and dirt.

That is to say, if you ride in sand and dirt and this material gets embedded in your brake pads, it could scratch the rim coating!

Generally Mavic does not recommend the Ksyrium or R-Sys SLR for cyclocross due to this reason. The sweet black rims might wind up with scratches due to mud, sand, and grit.

So, be aware that it's a risk, your rims could be damaged. Otherwise, have fun!

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I have all ready seen the braking surface on a pair (road use only) scratched due to something in the pads. This definitely takes away from the aesthetics of the wheel and might be a bad gamble if used for cross.